Topeka school bus carrying 24 students collides with car, house, at N.W. 1st and Franklin avenues

Thursday

Oct 12, 2017 at 7:37 AM

Phil Anderson

No serious injuries resulted after a Durham School Services bus carrying 24 elementary school-age children ran a stop sign and collided with a car Thursday morning at an intersection in the Auburndale neighborhood of north-central Topeka, authorities said.

The wreck is the latest in a string of incidents involving Durham — including a deaf preschool student who in August was left on a bus for several hours in the Kansas City area — that have caused Topeka Unified School District 501 to consider utilizing a different bus service, according to spokeswoman Misty Kruger.

The collision occurred just before 8:30 a.m. at N.W. 1st and Franklin avenues. The location is about 3 blocks east of N.W. 1st and MacVicar and 4 blocks west of the Potwin neighborhood.

Topeka police officer Jon Soden said at the scene that a maroon, four-door Ford Crown Victoria was headed east on 1st Avenue and the school bus was northbound on Franklin Avenue when the vehicles collided in the intersection.

First Avenue is a through-street for east-west traffic at that location, while Franklin is controlled by stop signs in both northbound and southbound directions.

"The bus driver said that a child was doing something in the back that took his attention off the road," Soden said. "He ran the stop sign and struck the other vehicle as it came through the intersection."

Soden said the bus driver, whose name wasn’t immediately available, would be issued a ticket for a stop-sign violation.

Darrick Tripe, area general manager for Durham School Services, said at the scene that the bus driver was feeling "pretty sore" and was being evaluated for possible injuries.

Upon impact, the school bus pulled the Crown Victoria with it on its left side, as both vehicles veered northwest over the curb on the northwest corner of the intersection.

The school bus, which had substantial damage to its front and left side, stopped after it ran into a home at 103 N.W. Franklin, on the northwest corner of the intersection, causing substantial damage to the front porch.

The bus came to rest facing northwest with the middle of its left side straddling the guy-wire to a wooden power pole.

The Crown Victoria, meanwhile, was pulled along the left side of the bus, barely missing a wooden power pole and a stop sign. The Crown Victoria crossed over the curb between the guy-wire on its right side and the wooden power pole and stop sign on its left side, missing the objects by inches. Cheryl Singleterry, 67, who was driving the Crown Victoria, was shaken up after the collision but said she was most grateful that none of the students on the bus was injured.

Singleterry credited her large Crown Victoria for helping her avoid injury. She said she was wearing her seat belt and that the airbags deployed. She added she had just purchased her car two months ago and put permanent tags on it Wednesday.

"I just want to say thank God for a Crown Vic," Singleterry said. "They can say what they want to about these cars today. That Crown Vic just saved my life, and I’m very grateful."

She added, "They built them right. I’ve driven a lot of cars in my nearly 70 years. That’s a good one. It won’t be good anymore."

The front of the Crown Victoria was caved in, with parts of the fender hanging off. The hood was crumpled into the windshield.

Minutes after the collision, Singleterry was speaking with children who remained seated inside the bus.

"I’m so sorry this happened," she said to the students.

One of the students could be heard asking Singleterry if she was all right. Singleterry assured the children that she was fine.

Another student was heard saying, "I think I’m going to be late to school today."

Later, Singleterry expressed her thanks that the two dozen children on the bus had no serious injuries.

"I’m so grateful no one was hurt," she said. "Basically they’re OK. They were like me — all shook up."

She added: "This is terrible. Little kids shouldn’t have to be involved in such a thing. What can you say? What can you say?"

"The children asked about me," she said. "I asked about them. I told them they were really good, and they were. They were very brave. They sat in that bus. They paid attention. They listened to everything that driver told them.

"And then they asked me, ‘Are you OK? Are you OK?’ and I told them, ‘Yes, I’m OK.’ But they were very well behaved. They deserve a lot of credit. Little children — little children. You would think they’d be hysterical, worked up, screaming … No. They didn’t. They were good."

A second Durham School Services bus was called to the scene, and about 15 minutes after the collision, the students were escorted off the bus that crashed and were taken to the new bus. The students then were transported to Meadows Elementary School, located about 9 blocks to the east at 201 S.W. Clay.

A short time later, a wrecker came to remove Singleterry’s car.

"Look at that car," Singleterry said as it was being pulled by a winch onto the wrecker. "You’ll see there’s guardian angels all over inside it. I believe in angels. They were with me. They were with me."

Kruger praised the students on the bus for following "protocol" and sitting in their seats as they have been trained to do.

"All the students have been checked and have been released from the scene and transported on to school," Kruger said at the scene. "We’ve notified all the parents of all the students involved in the wreck this morning."

Westar Energy crews were called to the scene about 9:45 a.m. to relieve pressure on the guy-wire that ended up beneath the middle portion of the left side of the school bus, to avoid snapping the wooden power pole when a wrecker moved the bus from the scene.

Contact Phil Anderson at (785) 295-1195 or follow live reports @Philreports on Twitter. Like him on Facebook at facebook.com/philreports.tcj/

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.

Advertising

Stay Connected

Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted.
The Topeka Capital-Journal ~ 616 SE Jefferson, Topeka, KS 66607 ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service